Step back in time and explore the excavation site with guided tours led by archaeologists at an open day tomorrow (Saturday 23 March).
The excavation, which is being undertaken by AOC Archaeology, is being carried out ahead of the Council’s redevelopment of the site of the former Silverlea Care Home into much needed new homes. The site will include 142 high quality sustainable homes, including wheelchair-accessible ground-floor dwellings in a mix of social rent (91) and mid-market rent (51) each benefitting from coastal views and access to parkland.
The redevelopment forms part of the £1.3 billion wider Granton Waterfront regeneration, which is delivering thousands of new homes along with commercial and cultural space, a primary school, a health centre, and a major new coastal park.
Discoveries at the site include the remains of the 18th-19th century Murieston Mains farm and evidence for the estate surrounding the former 16th century House. This includes a culvert/flue that may have been used for heating the walled garden. Midden deposits from the 19th and 20th century, including bone, pottery, and milk bottles, have also been found which provides insight into the daily life of the estate.
It follows the discovery of a fossil plant remains, uncovered in a reused sandstone block possibly quarried in Craigleith, believed to be over 300 million years old. The fossil contains fragments of giant Club Moss and Horsetail, which grew in tropical swamps during the Carboniferous Period.
Members of the public are welcome to visit the site at 14 Muirhouse Parkway, Edinburgh, EH4 5EU from 10am-3pm to view the artefacts on display, with archaeologists on hand to talk about their discoveries.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: ““It is fantastic to see work continuing at pace at our £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront site, the largest sustainable regeneration project of its kind in Scotland. Archaeology projects, like the site at Edinburgh’s Muirhouse house and Mains farm, help us to get a glimpse of the area’s past.
“Our city has a rich heritage, but these discoveries continue to expose new aspects of its fascinating, varied history. The open day on Saturday is a chance for anyone with an interest to come and have a look at the historical work taking place, and to learn from the expertise of our brilliant archaeologists.”
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland announced today that it has awarded funding to 15 archaeological and historical projects committed to researching stories from Scottish history.
The Edinburgh-based membership charity supports high-quality research and publication relating to Scotland’s past by making several grants and awards each year. A total of £26,251.00 will be distributed by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to investigate Scottish rock art across the country, a devastated late-medieval Borders community, the lives of 18th-century Scots intellectuals in Rome, and more.
The ‘Colouring the Neolithic: Searching for Pigments in Scotland’s Prehistoric Rock Art’ project will seek to “revolutionise our understanding” of prehistoric Scotland by searching for evidence that Neolithic rock art was not always plain stone.
The project leaders were inspired by evidence of colour on structures and artefacts from Orkney. Along with evidence of paintings over carvings on the continent, these examples suggest we may also find this combination of techniques in Scotland.
Dr Joana Valdez-Tullett FSAScot, Prehistorian, Rock Art Specialist and Technical Specialist at Wessex Archaeology, and Dr Louisa Campbell FSAScot, Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Leadership Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, will use rock art examples curated in Scottish museums to develop a pioneering approach to search for tantalising traces of these 5,000-year-old pigments.
‘The Community of the Twelve Towers of Rule’ project co-ordinated by Professor Jane Bower FSAScot, Chair of the Campaign for a Scottish Borders National Park, aims to piece together the story of a late-medieval Borders community devastated by English forces almost 500 years ago.
In 1545, King Henry VIII dispatched an army to lay waste to the valley of Rule Water and the people who lived there. Thanks to a grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, together with funding from Scottish Borders Council and the Campaign for a Scottish Borders National Park, the project will bring together dispersed and limited archival records to create a fuller understanding of the economy, society and culture of the valley of the Rule right up to the time it was destroyed.
Dr Marion Amblard FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Scottish and British studies at Grenoble Alpes University, will also investigate the Scottish community who lived in Rome between 1719 and 1798.
This community was made up of political exiles, artists, antiquarians, art dealers, travellers and young men attending the Scots College. The project entitled ‘Scots in 18th-century Rome: Key Actors in the Cultural, Artistic and Diplomatic Life of the Eternal City’ will shed light on the influence these Scots had on life in the Italian capital and back home in Scotland.
It will also show that the Scottish experience of Rome was different from that of the English and contributed to helping the Scots forge a multifaceted identity, being Scottish, British and European.
Additional Society of Antiquaries of Scotland grants have been awarded to projects investigating the traces of the earliest human populations on the Isle of Skye, horse name elements in the landscape and language of Galloway, to students in the Scottish Archaeological Forum coordinating a new conference which will highlight efforts to address the under-representation of marginalised groups within archaeology, and more.
Dr Suzanne Lyle FSAScot, Vice President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Convenor of the Grants and Awards Committee, said: “Thanks to support from our Fellows, each year we are delighted to offer funding to a number of researchers at different stages in their careers.
“The projects selected in 2023 demonstrate the high calibre and varied nature of research into Scottish history currently taking place across the globe, all of which will contribute to our understanding of Scotland’s past.”
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland grants are open to everyone and the next deadline for applications is 30 November. Visit their website for more information about grant funding and becoming a Fellow.
National Museums Scotland has acquired an exceptionally rare gold sword pommel, created around 700 AD.
Discovered in Stirlingshire, this spectacular object is one of the first of its kind found in Scotland and has been allocated to the Museums by the King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer following the recommendation of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel.
The pommel is a decorative fitting that would have capped the top of a sword hilt made over 1000 years ago. Crafted in solid gold, the object is encrusted with garnets and intricate goldwork. This rich and technically accomplished decoration is highly symbolic, featuring religious motifs and fantastical creatures.
The discovery was made near Blair Drummond in Scotland, adding significantly to its archaeological value, affirming important cultural, political and artistic interactions within northern Britain.
Its decoration masterfully combines elements from both Anglo-Saxon England and the kingdoms of Early Medieval Scotland. This vibrant ‘Insular art’ style, made famous by illuminated manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, is Britain’s unique contribution to medieval European art and the Stirling pommel is an outstanding expression of this creative fusion in gold.
Dr Alice Blackwell, Senior Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History at National Museums Scotland, said: “Goldwork from this period is virtually unknown from anywhere in the UK and we are delighted to secure the Stirling Pommel for Scotland’s national collections.
“It is a hugely significant archaeological find, revealing more about this fascinating period in the history of northern Britain and representing the spectacular skill and craftsmanship of the period.”
The pommel was discovered by a metal detectorist and declared to the Treasure Trove unit, in accordance with Scots Law. It was subsequently allocated to National Museums Scotland by the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP).
John Logue, King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer, said: “This discovery highlights the positive work done by the Treasure Trove Unit to decide upon the preservation of rare items for the nation.”
The announcement follows the success of Scottish Archaeology month 2022 in September. This initiative is focused on sharing and engaging with stories related to history, heritage and archaeology in Scotland.
Geophysical sensors, excavations and computers reveal millennia of prehistoric land use at Stonehenge
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Ghent University (Belgium) have discovered hundreds of possible large prehistoric pits – and thousands of smaller ones – at the heart of the Stonehenge landscape, challenging our understanding of land use through time at the most intensively investigated prehistoric site in the world.
A large pit, over 4 metres wide and 2 metres deep dug into chalk bedrock, stands out as the most ancient trace of land use yet discovered at Stonehenge.
Over 10,000 years old, it bears witness to hunter-gatherers roaming the landscape during the early Mesolithic, when Britain was re-inhabited after last Ice Age. This is only one of many new sites and unexpected patterns of prehistoric activity detected at Stonehenge by the Ghent-Birmingham research team.
These results were achieved by combining – uniquely – the first extensive electromagnetic induction survey undertaken in the Stonehenge landscape with evidence from over 60 geoarchaeological boreholes, 20 targeted archaeological excavations, and computer-generated analyses of thousands of subsurface features, such as pits, revealed by the geophysical data.
Philippe De Smedt, Associate Professor at Ghent University said: “Geophysical survey allows us to visualize what’s buried below the surface of entire landscapes. The maps we create offer a high-resolution view of subsurface soil variation that can be targeted with unprecedented precision.
“Using this as a guide to sample the landscape, taking archaeological ‘biopsies’ of subsurface deposits, we were able to add archaeological meaning to the complex variations discovered in the landscape.”
The combination of novel geophysics and ‘traditional’ archaeology has revealed otherwise elusive archaeological evidence around Stonehenge. From 2017, the team carried out excavations to evaluate just how accurate the results of the geophysical survey mapping and interpretation had been.
These samples provided information for developing a model of types of archaeological evidence revealed in the geophysical data, resulting in computer-generated maps of traces of prehistoric activity.
“As archaeologists, we need information on aspects such as chronology and function as a basis for understanding past human behaviour. That puzzle contains pieces that can only be retrieved through excavation.”
A striking result of the project has been the identification of over 400 potential large pits (each over 2.5 metres in diameter), of which six were excavated in the course of the project, ranging in date from the Early Mesolithic (c.8000 BCE) to the Middle Bronze Age (c.1300 BCE).
While each of these sites adds to our knowledge of prehistoric activity in the Stonehenge landscape, the Mesolithic pit stands out as exceptional. The size and shape of the pit suggest it was probably dug as a hunting trap for large game such as aurochs, red deer and wild boar.
Dating to 8200-7800 BCE, it is not only one of the earliest of the very few Mesolithic sites near Stonehenge (predating, for instance, the Blick Mead occupation site 1.5 kms away), it is also the largest known Early Mesolithic pit feature in north-west Europe. 2/5 Mapping of the large pits also shows that they cluster in parts of the landscape that were repeatedly revisited over millennia, notably on the higher ground to the east and west of Stonehenge.
The social contexts of this activity changed radically over time, yet the spatial distribution of these pits suggest similar interests in locales that allowed extensive vistas overlooking the site of Stonehenge.
The implications of this research for rethinking the spatial extents, temporalities and sensory qualities of diverse kinds of prehistoric behaviour beyond the obvious ceremonial monuments, are highly significant for understanding Stonehenge and its landscape setting.
Paul Garwood, Senior Lecturer in Prehistory at the University of Birmingham: “What we’re seeing is not a snapshot of one moment in time. The traces we see in our data span millennia, as indicated by the seven-thousand-year timeframe between the oldest and most recent prehistoric pits we’ve excavated.
“From early Holocene hunter-gatherers to later Bronze Age inhabitants of farms and field systems, the archaeology we’re detecting is the result of complex and ever-changing occupation of the landscape.”
While the Stonehenge landscape is unique, the research methods used are relevant to all archaeological environments. Sensor technologies and computer-based analysis are increasingly important aspects of archaeological research, providing new ways to explore ancient landscapes.
At the same time, they must be integrated at every stage with evidence recovered by excavation to provide us with the rich cultural, environmental, and chronological information that we need to interpret our findings.
As this project shows, these methods can radically change our understanding of ancient landscapes even in a setting as intensively investigated as that at Stonehenge.
Much of the research and excavation for the project was carried out on land owned by the National Trust.
Dr Nick Snashall, Archaeologist for the Stonehenge & Avebury World Heritage Site, said: “By combining new geophysical survey techniques with coring, and pin point excavation, the team has revealed some of the earliest evidence of human activity yet unearthed in the Stonehenge landscape.
“The discovery of the largest known Early Mesolithic pit in north-west Europe shows that this was a special place for hunter-gatherer communities thousands of years before the first stones were erected.”
Isotope analysis of ‘bodies in the bog’ found at Cramond reveals several crossed a politically divided Scotland, meeting their end hundreds of miles from their place of birth.
For decades, the skeletal remains of nine adults and five infants found in the latrine of what was once a Roman bath house in Cramond have fascinated archaeologists and the public alike.
Discovered in 1975 they were originally thought to be victims of the plague or a shipwreck from the 14th century.
Then radiocarbon dating showed them to be some 800 years older, dating to the 6th century, or early medieval period.
New bioarchaeological work led by the University of Aberdeen has brought to light more details of their lives and has revealed that several of the group travelled across Scotland to make Cramond their home.
Their investigations change our understanding not only of this important site but of the mobility and connections of people across Scotland in the early medieval period, when the country was broadly divided between the Scotti in Dál Riata to the west, the Picts in most of northern Scotland and the Britons in the south.
The researchers examined the bones and teeth of the group unearthed from what was once the latrine of a bathhouse in a Roman fort, leading to them being coined ‘the bodies in the bog’.
Using isotope analyses they were able to look at the diet and origins of each of the adults in the group.
Professor Kate Britton, senior author of the study, said they were surprised to discover that despite being buried in close proximity to each other – leading to assumptions that they were one family – some were brought up hundreds of miles apart.
“Food and water consumed during life leave a specific signature in the body which can be traced back to their input source, evidencing diet and mobility patterns,” she added.
“Tooth enamel, particularly from teeth which form between around three and six years of age, act like little time capsules containing chemical information about where a person grew up.“When we examined the remains, we found six of them to bear chemical signatures consistent with what we would expect from individuals growing up in the area local to Cramond but two – those of a man and a woman – were very different.
“This suggests that they spent their childhoods somewhere else, with the analysis of the female placing her origins on the West coast.”
“The male instead had an isotopic signature more typical of the Southern Uplands, Southern Highlands or Loch Lomond area so it is likely he came to Cramond from an inland area.”
The findings, published in the Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal, provide one of the first insights into early medieval population mobility in Scotland.
Dr Orsolya Czére, post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study, added: “This is a historically elusive time period, where little may be gleaned about the lives of individuals from primary literary sources. What we do know is that it was a politically and socially tumultuous time.
“In Scotland particularly, evidence is scarce and little is known about individual movement patterns and life histories. Bioarchaeological studies like this are key to providing information about personal movement in early medieval Scotland and beyond.
“It is often assumed that travel in this period would have been limited without roads like we have today and given the political divides of the time. The analysis of the burials from Cramond, along with other early medieval burial sites in Scotland, are revealing that it was not unusual to be buried far from where you had originally grown up.
“Previous studies have suggested that those buried here were of high social status, even nobility. What we can say from our new analyses was that these were well-connected individuals, with lives that brought them across the country”
“This is an important step in unravelling how these different populations of early medieval Scotland and Britain interacted.”
Despite evidence for geographical mobility, social tensions may still have been high. Several of the skeletons at Cramond indicate that some of the individuals may have met with violent ends.
Osteoarchaeologist and co-author Dr Ange Boyle from the University of Edinburgh said: “Detailed osteological analysis of the human remains has determined that a woman and young child deposited in the Roman latrine suffered violent deaths.
“Blows to the skulls inflicted by a blunt object, possibly the butt end of a spear would have been rapidly fatal. This evidence provides important confirmation that the period in question was characterised by a high level of violence.”
John Lawson, the City of Edinburgh Council archaeologist, co-author and lead archaeologist on the investigations at Cramond, says the new findings further underline the importance of the Cramond site.
“This paper has been the result of fantastic collaboration between ourselves and our co-authors from Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. The final results from the isotopic research have confirmed the initial 2015 results giving us archaeological evidence and a window into the movement of elite society in the 6th century.
“In particular it is helping us to support our belief that Cramond during this time was one of Scotland’s key political centres during this important period of turmoil and origins for the state of Scotland.
“Whilst it has helped us answer some questions about the individuals buried in the former Roman Fort’s Bathhouse, it has also raised more. We hope to continue to work together to bring more findings to publication as these have a significant impact on what is known about the history of Scotland and Northern Britain during the Dark Ages.”
The study was funded by Edinburgh City Council and the University of Aberdeen and research by Professor Britton and Dr Czere is supported by the Leverhulme Trust and AHRC respectively.
Adult Education resuming a limited face to face programme – with a few courses starting at Leith Community Centre from 8th November for a 5 week term.
All precautions will be taken with distancing, mask wearing, sanitising and ventilation to Keep students and tutors safe. So the class can get on with being fun, informal and informative!
Courses available are:
Activity
LVL
Start date
Day
Time
Art(PR): Drawing & Painting – All – (8/11) – LCC12311N
ALL
08/11/2021
Monday
10:00 – 12:00
Yoga: Gentle – All – (9/11) – LCC65852N
ALL
09/11/2021
Tuesday
17:30 – 19:00
Russian – Beginner – (9/11) – LCC55512N
BEG
09/11/2021
Tuesday
15:00 – 17:00
Russian – Post Beginner – (9/11) – LCC55752N
PBG
09/11/2021
Tuesday
18:00 – 20:00
Writing Creative: Life Writing – All – (9/11) – LCC64652N
ALL
09/11/2021
Tuesday
18:30 – 20:30
Art(PR): Drawing & Painting – All – (10/11) – LCC12313N
ALL
10/11/2021
Wednesday
10:00 – 12:00
Yoga – All – (10/11) – LCC65753N
ALL
10/11/2021
Wednesday
17:30 – 19:00
Art(PR): Drawing & Painting – All – (10/11) – LCC12353N
ALL
10/11/2021
Wednesday
18:00 – 20:00
Discover: Archaeology Today – All – (11/11) – LCC32614N
ALL
11/11/2021
Thursday
15:00 – 17:00
Art(PR): Drawing & Painting – All – (12/11) – LCC12315N
You can book on our website: www.joininedinburgh.org – the courses will be available to view and book from today – Thursday morning.
Telephone enrolments will be available for 2 days on Thursday 21st October and Friday 22nd October this week from 10:00 – 16:00 by calling (0131) 469 3003 or (0131) 469 3005.
Courses will be charged at £41.25 for the standard fee and £16.50 for benefits, senior citizens and students.
Go underground to taste the history of Scotland’s national drink
Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland and whisky brand The Glenlivet – two organisations with a long history – have joined forces for a special online event on 1 July.
Inspired by the stories of illicit whisky production in Scotland’s past, the first ever meeting of the Underground Whisky Club will give connoisseurs a taste of the rich history and heritage of the spirit which is synonymous with Scotland.
The event is the latest element of the Pioneering Spirit project which launched last summer. Led by the Trust’s expert archaeologist team, it aims to uncover the hidden stories of whisky production at Trust properties across the Highlands and beyond. Supported by The Glenlivet, the work has, so far included drone surveys of sites in Torridon and on the Mar Lodge Estate and digs in both locations too.
Head of Archaeology Derek Alexander will give attendees the first taste of the discoveries so far at the free event which runs on Thursday 1 July from 7 – 8.30pm.
Derek said: “We know how many people love whisky, and love our places – it’s the perfect blend and we hope lots of people will join us for the first ever meeting of the Underground Whisky Club.”
It will also be the first opportunity to see and hear new artistic commissions inspired by Scotland’s history and the illicit whisky trade.
Featured artists include Alison Irvine, a novelist and creative non-fiction writer; Kevin Andrew Morris, an Aberdeen-based ceramicist; Michael Begg, an award-winning composer and sound artist; and Natalie Feather, a photographic artist.
New images been created showing what people living in Leith up to 700 years ago might have looked like.
Forensic artists have used hi-tech software to reconstruct the faces of remains uncovered during the excavation of the medieval graveyard in Leith, dating back to between the 14th and 17th century, as part of the Trams to Newhaven project.
Masters graduate students from the University of Dundee, working closely with project sub-contractors GUARD Archaeology and as part of an ongoing internship with the Council Archaeologist, used special 3D scanners to build up digital versions of skulls discovered during excavations outside South Leith Parish Church.
These were the basis for lifelike representations created of the former residents, the first step in the aging analysis of bodies.
The first two pictures feature a man and woman both aged between 35 and 50. Early forensic analysis indicates that the woman may have suffered from nutritional deficiencies.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “These images give us a fascinating insight into the lives of the people who lived in our city centuries ago. The work being carried out now will not only shed light on the area’s past but will help to conserve it for many years to come.
“This is all part and parcel of the broader project to bring trams to Newhaven, and I’m glad that we’ve been able to involve residents in exciting developments like this, as we progress with such a major scheme.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “It’s so interesting to see these images.
“It really makes you think about what life could have been like in Leith all those years ago and I look forward to finding out more from the experts analysing the remains found.”
Council Archaeologist John Lawson added: “These fantastic reconstructions help us connect directly with our forebearers. Often, we as archaeologists just see the physical remains but the work undertaken by Dundee University’s forensic artists helps put the flesh, so to speak, back onto these remains and by doing so I feel brings them closer to us today.”
Excavations were carried out in summer 2020 outside South Leith Parish Church, Constitution Street, where previous investigations showed that in the medieval period the church’s graveyard extended across the road with graves surviving beneath the current road surface.
The team of archaeologists, who were working to remove any human remains that could be affected by the tram works, exhumed more than 360 bodies, dating from between 1300 and 1650, as well as finding the apparent remnants of the original medieval graveyard wall.
The remains are now subject to examination and analysis that will reveal information on the origins, health, diseases and diet of the people of medieval Leith. This has involved partnership work with the University of Dundee and Forensic Art MSc graduate students Viviana Conti and Elysia Greenway, who have created facial reconstructions and have recorded vlogs for the Trams to Newhaven YouTube account, explaining their process.
Lynn Morrison, Lecturer in Forensic Art at the University of Dundee, said: “Elysia and Viviana have done an excellent job reconstructing the faces of these individuals. This internship has given them a great opportunity to develop the skills learnt on the course and gain some valuable experience in the field. I am delighted to see how well they are doing.
The main construction works on Leith Walk from Elm Row to Crown Place are currently underway, with traffic management involving Leith Walk being reduced to one citybound lane between London Road and Crown Place for the duration of the works.
The excavation of human remains which could date back as far as 1300 has begun on Constitution Street, as part of the Trams to Newhaven project.
Archaeologists are on-site outside South Leith Parish Church, where previous investigations have shown that in the medieval period the church’s graveyard extended across the road with graves surviving beneath the current road surface.
The team are removing any human remains that are likely to be affected by the tram works, and have so far exhumed more than ten bodies, dating from between 1300 and 1650, as well as finding the apparent remnants of the original medieval graveyard wall.
After the excavation the remains will be subject to examination and analysis that will reveal information on the origins, health, diseases and diet of the people of medieval Leith.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: This is an extremely fascinating, essential part of the broader project to bring the tram to Newhaven, shedding some light on centuries of history here in Leith.
“It’s crucial that we conserve the remains found here, and a team of archaeologists are carrying out the painstaking job of doing this. What’s more, further examination of the excavated graves will give us an invaluable glimpse into the lives of Leithers past.”
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “The Trams to Newhaven project is now up and running again and progressing well, as the main works get underway on Leith Walk.
“This element of the scheme is just as important as track-laying or landscaping and allows us to conserve a small piece of the area’s heritage for generations to come”.
Council Archaeologist John Lawson said: The historic port and town of Leith is one of the Scotland’s most significant urban archaeological sites with evidence of occupation going back over 900 years.
“Although only just started, the excavations by our team from GUARD have already provided important new evidence regarding the history of the graveyard and earlier town with the discovery of what we believe are the remains of its original medieval graveyard wall.
“It is hoped that further new discoveries will be made and that we will learn important new evidence for the lives of Leith’s medieval inhabitants so that we can tell their story to modern Leithers.”
Last month, archaeologists from GUARD Archaeology Ltd, who are undertaking work on the council’s behalf under contractors Morrison Utility Services, shared images of discoveries made during initial investigations on Constitution Street. These include rare whalebones, a cannonball thought to date back to the 17th century and historic drainage.
Archaeological work began on Constitution Street in November 2019 and was stopped at the end of March, along with the wider project, to comply with Government guidance and to protect the safety of workers and residents in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
During the first phase, the team took down part of a wall surrounding Constitution Street Graveyard, dating back to 1790, ahead of excavation of the historic graveyard. Preparatory work led archaeologists to discover what appears to be a large charnel pit which may contain the remains of some burials recovered from the laying of 19th century services in Constitution Street.
The main construction works on Leith Walk from Elm Row to Crown Place are currently underway, with traffic management involving Leith Walk being reduced to one city bound lane between London Road and Crown Place for the duration of the works.
All works, including archaeological investigations, are being carried out while maintaining physical distancing and with additional measures to protect workers’ and the public’s health in place.
